While developed countries jockey for the millions of COVID-19 vaccine doses available every day, most developing ones have few vaccines to offer. Many countries in Africa, for example, have vaccinated fewer than 1% of their populations.

Part of the problem is that wealthier countries have already snagged most of the supplies being produced by the major vaccine makers. To get more people vaccinated and help end the pandemic, India and South Africa want the World Trade Organization to waive intellectual property rights so companies around the world can produce the vaccines. As you might expect, the countries where some of the biggest vaccine makers are based – such as the U.S. and U.K. – have objected to this idea.

University of Dayton law professor Dalindyebo Shabalala says there’s another way to solve the problem, one that would help get more vaccines into the arms of people in poorer countries without sacrificing drugmakers’ patent protections.